Since Madonna announced that she’s working on a self-directed biopic back in 2020, rumours have been rife about who will portray the Queen of Pop. For a while, it seemed as if Euphoria’s Alexa Demie was a shoo-in for the role, while Don’t Worry Darling’s Florence Pugh and Odessa Young’s names have also been floating around the production.
Now, though, it appears that Madonna has found her ideal Madonna, offering the starring role to Julia Garner. According to an insider report from Variety, the Ozark and Inventing Anna actor emerged as the favourite among a dozen candidates, and is expected to accept the offer (who wouldn’t?).
The biopic itself is said to “convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer – a human being, trying to make her way in this world,” said Madonna in her original announcement. “The focus of this film will always be music. Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive.”
Controversially, a screenplay for another Madonna biopic – titled Blond Ambition – emerged in 2016, topping the infamous Hollywood ‘Black List’ for that year. The production was seemingly derailed, however, by Madonna’s criticism of the attempt to tell her story without her own input. “Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen,” the pop icon wrote in 2017. “Only I can tell my story. Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool… Why would Universal Studios want to make a movie about me based on a script that is all lies???”
The upcoming film, on the other hand, is penned by Madonna herself, working alongside Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody. “There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me,” she says. “It’s essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.”
In particular, it is said to focus on Madonna’s early days, which saw her emerge from the artistic underground of 80s New York and begin her ascent to superstardom. Revisit some of the most iconic moments from her career here, in preparation.